Tiger Woods is hosting the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week, featuring an exclusive field of only 20 players.
Interestingly, two other significant events are also taking place simultaneously: the Australian Open and the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
This means that Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Viktor Hovland are playing on three different continents.
That’s not an ideal situation for anyone, including Woods, who may be frustrated at the state of the Hero World Challenge.
Tiger Woods would have expected a stronger field at the Hero World Challenge
The field for the Hero World Challenge typically includes most of the world’s best players, but that is not the case this year.
World number one Scottie Scheffler will only be joined by three other top-10 players: J.J. Spaun, Robert MacIntyre, and Justin Rose.
The likes of McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Xander Schauffele have either decided to play elsewhere or not at all.
Do you agree with our Hero World Challenge predictions?
Peter Lynch: It’s almost impossible to look past Scottie Scheffler for this one. He’s dominated the event and dominated 2025, so why not keep winning? 🏆️
Charlie Walker: Yes, Scottie Scheffler has dominated this event in years past, but I’m giving the nod to Cameron Young this time around! Young picked up his first PGA Tour win shortly before the Ryder Cup and was one of the standout performers at Bethpage Black. He’s never been higher on confidence, and he’s shown he can compete with the very best in the world when the lights are brightest. ⛳
James Shearman: Scottie Scheffler could easily defend his title, but he has not played in a competitive event since the Ryder Cup in September. J.J. Spaun should be more up to speed after finishing T11 at the World Wide Technology Championship last month. 💰️
Jordan Harris: Scottie Scheffler has never finished worse than second at the Hero World Challenge, and this week does not have the strongest field. So it looks like a seventh win of 2025 for the world number one is on the cards. 🏌️♂️
Golf expert Rex Hoggard believes that Woods will be “disappointed” and “upset” that more top players have not traveled to the Bahamas.
“If I were Tiger Woods, I would be a little upset about this field,” Hoggard said on the Golf Channel Podcast. “I think there are two top-10 players in the field, with Scottie Scheffler being the obvious one.
“There was a time when you could pretty much guarantee most of the top 15 would be in this field, and then a handful who were outside.
“Yeah, if I’m Tiger Woods, I don’t know if upset is the right word, but I’m probably a little bit disappointed.”
What golfers have said about Tiger Woods joining the PGA Tour Champions
Rex Hoggard doesn’t blame top players for skipping Hero World Challenge
Having pointed out the lack of top players at the Hero World Challenge, Hoggard then explained why he does not blame them for skipping the event.
Many European players have recently competed all around the world on the DP World Tour, while even some Americans have had other commitments.
“To be fair to the players who aren’t here, there are plenty of things going on in the world right now,” Hoggard continued.
“Rory McIlroy is down in Australia, and he’s had a busy schedule in the fall. So have a lot of Europeans; you look at what Tommy Fleetwood has done this fall.
“You have players who played last week in The Skins Game who aren’t here. I totally understand that a lot is going on. We have the Golf Channel Games coming up in just a few weeks.”
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